Conservation | Womanity

This week on Womanity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks to Crista Cullen, Olympic gold-medal field hockey player, businesswoman, conservation innovator, and proud daughter of both Kenya and the United Kingdom. Crista’s story is one of dual identities, grit, reinvention, and a deep commitment to contributing to the world beyond sport. Crista shares insights from her sixteen-year Olympic journey that began with failure, missing qualification for Athens, evolved through the ups and downs of Beijing and London, before culminating triumphantly in Rio 2016, where Great Britain’s women’s team seized gold against all odds. Crista unpacks the power of shared culture, athlete-driven ownership, and unity of purpose, revealing how the squad built a high-performance environment anchored in trust, human connection, honest challenge, and collective responsibility. She draws striking parallels between elite sport, corporate leadership, and conservation, discussing how principles like accountability, inclusivity, and pressure simulation translate across sectors. She stresses the importance of creating cultures people genuinely buy into, not top-down mandates plastered on office walls, but values co-created by every voice in the room. Crista also shares the rarely discussed emotional terrain of athlete retirement. After leaving the sport once at her peak in 2012 and again post-Rio, she speaks candidly about identity loss, purpose rediscovery, and the courage to start again. Her return for Rio, after three years away from competitive hockey, is a compelling story of humility, determination, passion, teamwork, and how genuinely wanting to do something for yourself rather than fulfilling other people’s expectations drives your excellence. Now firmly rooted back in Kenya, Crista leads transformative work in conservation finance and community-led environmental solutions. Through the Tofauti Foundation, she merges her worlds of sport and conservation to drive innovative, sustainable models that challenge old dependency-based NGO approaches. She shares a powerful gender-centred success story from coastal Kenya, where repurposed aquaculture infrastructure and a partnership with “Crabs Alive” has enabled more than 200 women to develop sustainable livelihoods through mangrove crab farming, reducing overharvesting and generating stable income for families. This model demonstrates what becomes possible when women are trusted as partners and leaders. Crista closes the conversation with a message of grounded optimism: everyone faces bumps in the road, including those who appear successful. What matters is perseverance, curiosity, courage to challenge norms, and the belief that every detour still keeps you moving forward. Tune in for more.

View Post

November 20, 2025

Crista Cullen – Gold Olympian, Businesswoman & Conservationist – Co-creation

This week on Womanity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka speaks to Crista Cullen, Olympic gold-medal field hockey player, businesswoman, conservation innovator, and proud daughter of both Kenya and the United Kingdom. Crista’...

This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka sits down with marine scientist Dr. Lara Atkinson from the South African Environmental Observational Network (SAEON), Egagasini Node. She shares her journey into marine science, her role in deep-sea exploration, and her mission to promote ocean conservation and capacity-building in Africa. The Path to Marine Science Dr. Atkinson recounts how her fascination with marine life began with watching documentaries as a child, despite growing up in Johannesburg, far from the ocean. A book she discovered on a family holiday—The Living Shores by George and Margot Branch—cemented her ambition to become a marine biologist, which outlined what subjects were required to pursue marine science. She methodically pursued her goal, ensuring she took the necessary subjects in school (mathematics, physics, biology, and geography) to gain entry into a Bachelor of Science program, which led to postgraduate studies culminating in a PhD. She emphasizes that careers in marine science are not limited to academic research, highlighting the technical and technological fields that support the discipline, including mapping, artificial intelligence, software development, and outreach education. She also underscores the increasing participation of women in these areas. The Ocean Quest Around Africa Expedition A major focus of the conversation is Dr. Atkinson’s role in the Ocean Quest Around Africa Expedition, an initiative endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade Framework. She served as the lead African scientist, coordinating research efforts and assembling a diverse team of marine scientists from Mozambique, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania, Comoros, and South Africa. The expedition, a partnership between Ocean X (a media and ocean exploration organization) and Ocean Quest (a nonprofit initiative focused on deep-sea research), aimed to explore Africa’s rich marine biodiversity, particularly seamounts—underwater mountains that serve as biodiversity hotspots but are threatened by climate change and human activity. During the first science leg of the expedition, the team sailed from Comoros through the Mozambique Channel, past Madagascar, and into South African waters, mapping the ocean floor and studying deep-sea ecosystems. The next phases of the expedition involve further exploration in Namibia, Cape Verde Islands, and Canary Islands before culminating at the UN Ocean Congress in France. Deep-Sea Exploration & Key Discoveries Dr. Atkinson describes her first-hand experience descending 500 meters below the ocean’s surface in a submersible, an acrylic-glass vessel used for deep-sea research. She recounts the awe-inspiring sight of previously unseen ecosystems, as well as evidence of human impact—notably, how Walter’s Shoal, a seamount once heavily fished, has yet to fully recover, despite conservation efforts. She emphasizes the slow growth rates of deep-sea species, explaining that full ecosystem restoration could take decades. The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Marine Science A major challenge of deep-sea research is the massive volume of data collected, including 8+ hours of footage per dive from remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). Dr. Atkinson highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) is being leveraged to analyze video footage more efficiently, with AI models trained to identify marine species automatically. She and her team are contributing to this initiative, helping Ocean X refine AI tools to accelerate data processing. Empowering Africa Through Marine Science Beyond research, Dr. Atkinson is deeply committed to education, capacity-building, and fostering the next generation of African marine scientists. She highlights the new marine science curriculum in South African high schools, which allows students—even those in landlocked areas like Johannesburg—to engage with ocean studies. She also stresses the importance of international collaborations, mentorship, and creating employment opportunities in a field that, while vital, remains underfunded. Inspiring the Next Generation In closing, Dr. Atkinson delivers a powerful message to young women: marine science needs you. She encourages them to pursue their passion, seek opportunities, and contribute to ocean conservation. She believes that a woman’s perspective, dedication, and care are crucial for the future of marine research. Her final words echo the essence of her mission: “Follow your dreams, work hard, and never give up. The ocean needs guardians, and Africa’s young scientists have a critical role to play.” Tune in for more.

View Post

March 21, 2025

Dr. Lara Atkinson – Marine Scientist: SAEON – Explorer

This week on Womanity – Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka sits down with marine scientist Dr. Lara Atkinson from the South African Environmental Observational Network (SAEON), Egagasini Node. She shares her jour...

Tag: Conservation

View Post

Crista Cullen – Gold Olympian, Businesswoman & Conservationist – Co-creation

View Post

Dr. Lara Atkinson – Marine Scientist: SAEON – Explorer

Type and hit enter

Tag: Conservation

View Post

Crista Cullen – Gold Olympian, Businesswoman & Conservationist – Co-creation

View Post

Dr. Lara Atkinson – Marine Scientist: SAEON – Explorer

Tags

Type and hit enter